Called to Serve

Image by Adina Voicu

​It seems to be these days we are always in the midst of an election cycle. We rightly see elections of leaders in our country to be important and not to be taken for granted, as it is a right that not every country grants its citizens. It is a right that has been defended at great cost, and it should be counted as an enormous privilege and responsibility to help shape the country we live in. 

As true as all of that is, we are on the verge of something far more important that has impact for eternity. Today, we begin the nominations process for the leaders of our church. Far more is at stake than a tax policy. Far more is at stake than just Knollwood’s reputation in the community. Indeed, the reputation of the gospel in our community and our own spiritual formation is impacted by the decisions that we will make in the power of the Holy Spirit in the coming weeks. 

Thankfully, God has not left us to formulate the ideal candidate on our own. God has graciously given to us the profile of a church leader that transcends time, culture, and our individual ideals. You will notice that the list God leaves us with here looks quite different than what we might see on a job requirements list today, even among church job postings. There is no mention of a dynamic personality or success in business, or even previous leadership experience except the candidate’s own household. This list recognizes character not class. It requires integrity not innovation. It prizes a grasp and application of Truth rather than a knowledge and appropriation of trend. We’ve seen the danger of ignoring this list and promoting and then shamefully protecting men who did not have the qualities we are about to see today, so with all of this in mind, let us turn to our points this morning which you can see in your outline. Christ wants character in His elders and Christ wants character in His deacons. 

First, Paul writes to a young pastor named Timothy what the church leadership is supposed to look like, and given the enormous responsibility it entails, it makes sense for Paul to say that this is a noble task for a man to pursue eldership in the church. We want to soberly encourage qualified men to this position by reminding them that this is indeed a noble task to pursue. Because this is such a noble task, it requires noble characteristics. 

Paul begins with the qualities to be found in an elder of the church. Now, depending on which version of the Bible you are reading, you may see the word “overseer” or even the word “bishop.” The word Paul uses for “overseer” is episkopos from which we get the word “episcopal.” Paul uses this word interchangeably with the word “elder” or “presbuteros” from which we get the word “Presbyterian.” We see him do this in Titus 1:5-7 where we see him list the same qualities for church leadership to another young pastor named Titus leading a church in Crete. We also see Paul use the term “elder” in 1 Timothy 4:14 and 5:17 who are doing the sorts of tasks we see implied in this list before us in chapter 3. There is more that can be said on this, but given our focus leadership qualities, I won’t take time to argue for the Biblical nature of the Presbyterian church government. Pastor Harry Reeder has a good sermon on that, if you would like to know more. I still like the term “overseer” here as this gives a description of what the elder’s job entails: the oversight and rule of the church (a task further mentioned in 5:17) along with teaching, which we will see later. 

The list that follows seems somewhat randomly organized, but one of the commentators noticed that this is made up of personal characteristics that have positive interpersonal applications. For instance, he will be hospitable, a personal characteristic, that has an effect on interpersonal relationships: he will not be violent or quarrelsome! 

So Paul’s first characteristic is that an elder or overseer be above reproach. His character is to be without scandal. While everyone sins in their lives, the elder is not going to have done or been something that would bring shame to the church. Things done before conversion will be treated very differently than after conversion as we do recognize the power of the gospel to transform people, but there still needs to be much wisdom applied in evaluating each case. 

What does “above reproach” look like? Well, the first is the husband of one wife. The phrasing here is strange to us, as the language literally says “a one woman man.” Is Paul only trying to keep out polygamists? This is unlikely. One commentator pointed out that the same phrase is used in 5:9 of a widow, but in the reverse: “a one man woman.” Polyandry, the practice of one woman marrying multiple men, wasn’t practiced in that culture, so if it isn’t referring to multiple simultaneous spouses in 5:9, than it isn’t saying that in 3:2. Further, polygamy wasn’t allowed in Christian culture, so it would seem to go without saying that the leaders of the church observe the basic Biblical definition of marriage as one mand and one woman. As Kent Hughes sums it up, Paul is not making a quantitative requirement but a qualitative requirement. Paul is calling for faithfulness to that one woman. There is no other woman in this candidate’s life but his wife. Being married to only one but not being faithful to her doesn’t satisfy this requirement because again it is quality not quantity God is concerned about. 

What about the single or divorced? Well, Paul was single and points to the advantages of that for church service in 1 Corinthians 7, so being married is not a requirement for this office. Divorce depends on the circumstances. In that same chapter Paul gives the Biblical allowances for divorce (see also Matthew 19), so assuming the man is the innocent party in that divorce, or the divorce occurred prior to the man’s conversion, than he is a candidate for this office. 

The next few qualities are rather self-explanatory. One doesn’t want a leader who doesn’t know how to be serious, or a leader who is impulsive and lets his feelings and passions guide him. The Bible requires that leader to be hospitable, willing to open his home to others for service. He can’t be an abrasive man who is given to violence and rushes to make conflict. He is going to be pushed and challenged in this position, and may have people argue with him over decisions that he makes, so he must be able to handle that with grace and gentleness. 

He must also be free of addiction to alcohol AND money. The former seems obvious, but the latter requires some thinking. Paul is not condemning a rich candidate or commending a poor one. The only factor is one’s approach to money. If they are putting their trust in it, there will be a fall if it isn’t checked. This deserves more attention than it gets in American culture where money is often the sole indicator of success and competence. 

Indeed, the real test for an elder is how does he lead his own home? Does he manage it well spiritually, physically, and financially (remembering what has already been said about that)? Because if he can’t do that in his home, why would we think he could do that for the church. Indeed, we shouldn’t want to pile responsibility onto a man who needs to manage his first responsibility better. That would be unkind to him, as his first ministry (even if he is an elder) is to his home. Further, are his children who live with him obedient and following after God? Critically, this word for children, while according to one commentator can be used of adult children, the word for submission or subjection would only apply to children still under his roof. We know that salvation is of the Lord, and if adult children decide to spurn the teachings of their parents after they leave the house, there is nothing a parent can do but pray for them. A wayward adult child does not disqualify a man from this position. 

Next, he must not be a recent convert. A man exalted high and fast can and very often does lead to pride, just like the devil. And when he does, there is a fall coming just like for the devil. So many young pastors have had this happen to them, so we must not be dazzled by flashy upstart preachers. God is sovereign and can grow His church just fine without hotshots or impressive resumes. There is plenty of time for testing a maturity to take place, and the consequences of ignoring this are massive to both the individual and the church he leads which is why in chapter 5:22 Paul warns us not to be hasty in ordaining people. 

Finally, he must be thought well of by outsiders, meaning that he has a good reputation in the community outside the church. This doesn’t mean that he has compromised the truth to make people like him, but a true christian is going to serve and be a witness such that even his enemies will know that they can count on a glass of cold water or food from him. Outsiders can spot hypocrisy from a mile away, so if they see it, we shouldn’t ignore it. 

In these qualities we can see protection against the three common temptations in ministry: glory, money, and sex. These are powerful weapons in Satan’s arsenal, and he is going to fling as many of those temptations as possible. This will require characteristics that can only be in a man who has been transformed by the Holy Spirit. 

While the responsibility to rule differentiates the elder from the deacon, there is only one ability that the elder is called to do that differentiates him from the deacon, and that is to teach. The elder candidate must be able to have a firm grasp of biblical truth that he can communicate when called on. This doesn’t necessarily mean that he has to have taught a Sunday school series, but it does mean that if asked to fill in, can he do so competently and accurately? What if we haven’t seen him in that role? Well, how well does he do in explaining other things? Can he communicate in a way that is understandable and helpful? If he can do so in other areas, then he is likely to do so in spiritual realms as well. That is the position that I am comfortable with, but there will be other godly pastors who would say that the candidate must have taught in some sort of Biblical subject context in order to be considered. I think that this is overly restrictive, as some churches simply don’t have enough opportunity for every candidate to do so. Nevertheless, the ideal would be to have seen the man teach in a church context. 

Christ wants character in His deacons.

Now, I’ve spent a lot of time with the elder requirements because a lot of them are the same for the deacon. Again, the common theme persists of God desiring character above all else. They, likewise, similarly, must be dignified and sincere. They are not saying one thing with one person and the opposite with another. They too cannot be in love with money or wine, yet must be in love and faithfully devoted to his wife and the rest of his household. If he cannot serve well in his home, then he cannot serve well in the church. And this is exactly what is required of him in this role. Indeed, just like the word “episkopos” gave us insight into the role of the deacon, so does the word “deacon” which means “service” tell us what this role is to be. We see the first deacons selected in Acts 6, and their charge was to look over the practical matters and needs of those in their ministry. 

While they are not called to teach, they are still called to know, hold fast, and be transformed by the mystery of the faith, the gospel and its teachings, as we see in verse 16. They must be able to do this with a clear conscience. For those that serve well in these duties, there is the reward of a good standing before men and God which will lead to greater confidence for themselves in Christ. 

Now let’s turn briefly to verse 11, as there is one final controversy we need to deal with. Depending on which translation of the Bible you have, it will either say “their wives” or it will say “women.” The word used here can be translated either way, and it is the context that determines its translation. Some have taken the context to mean that this should be translated “women” and thus create the space for females in the diaconate or their own special order of deaconess. Time does not permit a full treatment of this subject, but I will very briefly sum up my thoughts here. Those that would say this refers to female deacons cite Romans 16:1-2 in which Paul commends Phoebe and calls her, in the Greek, a deacon. Now, the word “deacon” means service or servant, so Paul isn’t necessarily using this word in the church office sense. Because of its ambiguity, I cannot build an entire understanding of a church office based on one word ambiguously used. 

With that understanding of Romans, it leaves me here with this context in Timothy. In all the roles of church offices or official groups, there is a mention of faithfulness in marital relationships. In chapter 5, as we saw earlier, to be put on the widows roll, they had to satisfy the condition of a one man woman, so the idea that a woman deacon is not going to be given that requirement seems odd. It also seems odd that Paul would jam the requirements of a female deacon in between requirements of male deacons, especially when Paul has mentioned prohibitions to women having authority or teaching in the church just one chapter prior. There is more that can be said, but for me I am convinced that the office of deacon, like the office of elder is restricted by God to qualified men. It is to be remembered that not every man is qualified for these offices, nor is it to be thought that a deacon or elder is the only position worth having in the church. The job of the elder and deacon is to prepare and facilitate the body as a whole for the ministry! Ephesians 4:11-12 has a focus on the saints, the priesthood of all believers, men and women for the advancement of the kingdom of God. It’s true that a woman cannot teach or hold authority over a man within the context of the local church (1 Timothy 2:10-14), it is not because she is mentally inferior or not as valuable in God’s economy. The reason for that is grounded in the creation order and fall all the way back in Genesis. This doesn’t mean that women can’t make podcasts, write books, go to seminary, or teach other women and children, and we need them to do all of those things, just like we need men who aren’t qualified for these two offices to serve the church in similar ways physical and spiritual. There are going to be a lot of quiet handymen and dedicated nursery workers receiving far more rewards in heaven than we expect. I believe that there will be some who will have more rewards than even some elders and deacons. 

Remember, the focus in this is the Kingdom of God. Our concern is not cultural relevance or the personal satisfaction of the office holder. The purpose of these elections —no— the purpose of every aspect of our lives is to build the kingdom of God, expand His rule on earth by fulfilling the Great Commission, telling people that Christ was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory. We need to tell the world that Jesus died for their sins and rose again to defeat death. We need to call the world to repentance and faith, and one way in which we do so is selecting wise and godly leaders to teach and serve. No one man can do it all expect Jesus, so we need a plurality of elders to lead and teach, and a plurality of deacons to serve and assist. Both offices are needed in order that the saints that make up the church would be built up to serve their REAL Master and Head, Jesus Christ our Lord. 

So what do we do from here? 
One, we need to fast and pray that God would make it apparent who we are to select based on these qualities. All of us, whether eligible for office or not, are to conform our lives to these qualities. No one is going to be perfect, not even the ones we nominate for office, but they need to moving in their sanctification in these areas. 

Two, we need to pray for our leaders and keep them accountable. They don’t stop needing the gospel and sanctification when they are church leaders. If anything, attacks in their lives are going to step up because Satan loves to see the church dishonored. Please keep them in your prayers. 

Third, as a matter of practicality, the way we do this is to first approach the man you wish to nominate for the office to see if he is willing. If after prayer and careful consideration he consents to be up for election, we will have an opportunity for you to submit his name to be added to the ballot to be voted on in a few weeks time. 

Finally, we keep in constant remembrance that this is to be done for the sake of Christ and His bride, the Church. This isn’t politics or making someone feel good. This is a matter of eternity that when done well brings great honor to Christ our Savior.  

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